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(183)
Cariosa asked the Emperor to show her around the gardens, and it was customary for a member of the royal family to guide a high noble.
Rudy looked very wary, but I smiled sadly and stood up with Cariosa.
I thought that even the greatest 'White Shark' in the world would hide his teeth once the emperor appeared.
As the ground spiders crawled and the sun chariot raced across the horizon, we strolled through a garden where roses in full bloom were shedding their petals one by one.
Crossing a wooden bridge over a small stream, Cariosa opened her mouth.
“Archduke Valencian.”
“You won’t even call me Your Majesty anymore? After all, I’ll be a duke in a month… … What does it matter?”
“I guess you know why I called you, judging by the way you stutter.”
The hunter's bitter and cruel smile once again appeared on her lips.
The white teeth embedded in my shoulders and neck gleamed.
I laughed without confirming or denying.
Cariosa spoke as if telling someone else's story.
“You appointed me as the governor of the three archipelagos, not the duke of the three archipelagos. But anyway, those are lands that the imperial family cannot reach. I can occupy them without having to appoint a governor or anything. Those Eastern Continent pirates are no match for my fleet.”
That's right.
Before returning, Cariosa fought a two-sided war against Jerilis and stabilized the three armies.
“As a governor, I must contribute my income. Of course, I will receive financial support, but a few thousand gold coins is not enough to maintain a monster like a fleet. In the end, aren’t you saying that I should use my own money to occupy the three archipelagos and split the income?”
That's right.
That's exactly what I meant.
“But I can’t refuse. I had to subdue the pirates and the fish-people anyway. And I need a piece of meat to save my face in the East.”
That's right.
She was already considered a virtual duke-level lord.
It would be a disgrace to lead 5,000 soldiers and 65,000 troops and then return with only the title of Duke.
“I could be dissatisfied with this and go wild, but that would be impossible without the Emperor, no, His Majesty.”
When I said the word "Emperor," my eyes narrowed, and Cariosa changed her words just in time.
“There’s a school of hungry sharks circling around me right now. It’s often politically advantageous to take physical damage. I’ll be busy suppressing them, appeasing them, and setting an example for a while.”
“In the process, the hegemony of the East will naturally be seized.”
“Huh? Yeah, right. I don’t think I’ll lose. I’m the second strongest swordsman in the world.”
It was a calm voice, as if speaking common sense.
Those turquoise eyes were so full of confidence.
But, with a sigh, the blue-haired nobleman continued speaking.
“I can’t kill all the Eastern vassals who came with me. They are my future vassals. If I kill a few of them to set an example, I have to absorb the army they brought and stabilize them, and feed them. I have to feed them well. I have to make them loyal to the lord who killed their original master.”
"yes."
“But you’re the one who controls the capital grain market. I heard the imperial family has contracted for 70% of the fall harvest.”
I neither confirmed nor denied.
He just smiled and said.
“How much thought have you put into it?”
“I won’t charge you a very, very high price for this. Otherwise, I won’t be able to run the fleet properly.”
I nodded.
“But I have to take a lot of the abuse. That way, even if the people of the capital starve, they won’t be cursing the imperial family, but me for threatening them. You can also gather public sentiment by cursing me at the same time… That’s what governing is all about.”
Cariosa's footsteps gradually slowed down and eventually stopped.
* * *
At the end of the garden, in front of the steps leading down to the street, where the spotlights cast a pale light.
I stood next to her and waited in silence.
Cariosa had a shark-like grin on her mysterious face.
The face, bathed in bright light, shone like scales, while at the same time being covered in deep shadows.
It was a laughter that seemed to want to bite and shatter the line between lust, appetite, and materialism, the line between pride and anger.
"I'm not going to be a fu*k."
“… … .”
“I will come back when His Majesty the Emperor abandons you. Three armies will suffice as a dowry, won’t you? I need a strong successor.”
I answered while looking at that smile.
“Is it a strategy?”
"of course."
As expected of the capital's biggest loser, he left behind unforgettable words that drifted in the wind.
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“!”
Cariosa opened her mouth wide.
Shark-like teeth lined up in front of his eyes, and his blue-gray irises and vertical pupils constricted.
I smiled slyly and cleared my throat towards the mysterious beauty.
“The night is deepening, Archduke Cariosa. The knights seem to be waiting, so please go down.”
Cariosa opened her mouth for a moment and then burst into laughter.
"Really…
“I won’t go far.”
“… … It’s going to be a little noisy tonight.”
It was said that there would be a bit of a scuffle with the Eastern correspondents.
“I will sleep well. As long as the citizens of the capital can sleep well, it doesn’t matter.”
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As long as they weren't trying to turn the capital into a sea of fire by fighting among themselves, I could accept that much.
Cariosa walked briskly, the hem of his uniform riddled with gun holes fluttering.
I looked at his back and sighed in relief.
Saved, and survived.
I would have liked to have been Cariosa if I hadn't been Valencian.
She was strong and cheerful, faithful to her duties and honest in her desires.
He was the kind of person who did things when he wanted to, not when he had to.
He was a person who had a narrow field of vision but could see far ahead, so he could enjoy a stormy and intense life without much worry.
I think I've been thinking for decades that it would be nice to be able to live like that.
That's why I can't hate Cariosa.
… … But who on earth bought grain in my name?
* * *
That night, there was chaos on the streets of the capital.
“I’ve tied you up, so bring me the Mana Sealing Stone. I’ll confine you in this room.”
“Catch him! Count Spina is on the run.”
“If you resist, kill me. The imperial army will not move tonight!”
Cariosa's 4,000 strong army broke out of their camp in the middle of the night and took over the hotel where the other Eastern Direct Lords were staying.
The eastern lords also led powerful escorts, and with each bringing 300 men, their escorts totaled 5,200, making it a worthwhile fight.
However, the sea men and knights who ate the fishmen alive were already preparing for battle from the morning.
Their Marquis familiarized his officers with two maneuvers.
The first operation was to retreat outside the capital in preparation for the release of Jaerilis, and the second operation was to sweep away the eastern lords as they are now.
One side was united and ready for battle, while the other side was divided and hesitant.
Moreover, since Cariosa herself was in the lead and was wielding the wind and tailwind, the eastern direct ministers were defeated one by one and captured.
“What are the Capital Police Commissioners and the Black Iron Knights doing?”
“That… … is invisible. The guard posts in each area are completely empty.”
“Eight! You idiots! Call the Brass Knights outside the gates for help!”
“The gates were closed and already occupied by knights of the Great White Shark Banner.”
The Eastern Lords were not fools who did not know what was going on.
Any fool who thought the royal family was truly unaware of this could not survive in aristocratic society.
“Jaylilith! You sold us all out!”
Originally, when his ministers fought, the monarch tried to actively stop them.
This is because if one side becomes a vassal of the other side and betrays the monarch, the taxes paid to the monarch will be greatly reduced.
But, even though an army of 10,000 soldiers is waging street fighting in the middle of the capital, they are silent.
It meant that all calculations and negotiations had already been completed.
“Valencian!”
“It’s definitely that bastard’s doing!”
“Damn it! We should have brought the negotiation proposal first… … .”
“What’s the use of saying that now!”
A night of silence.
It was a costly silence, given up both the throne and her husband.
bang!
The knights of Asenortha broke down the hotel door and dragged out the hidden enemies.
The knights, each wearing the Great White Shark emblem on their chests and their own emblems, all had bloodthirsty smiles on their faces.
A school of sharks came up onto the land and bared their teeth.
Cariosa spoke as she swung her tailwind at the armpit of a knight who had been resisting until the very end.
“Immigate the three marquises in my quarters, and call all the counts to me and make them swear allegiance to me before I imprison them. As soon as I receive the title of duke, I will have the marquises swear allegiance to me as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. It feels a little different, but I will still have the power of a king.”
Originally, the plan was for the East to unite as one and form a power, with Asenorta taking the throne as their representative.
But the nobles of the East, like nobles, always had a second blade ready.
Asenortha was no exception.
“Yes. I was planning to catch them all from the beginning anyway. Whether they come back here or there, as long as they enter the port, it’ll be fine.”
Cariosa glared at the old man who was being dragged away.
She smiled contentedly and hugged the trembling hotel manager and owner, and handed them a box.
“Here, here. Take it. It should be enough for the repairs. You seem to be a nobleman, considering you are the owner of a hotel of this caliber in the capital. What is your title?”
“Marquis, Marquis.”
Cariosa laughed heartily.
Although they were both marquises, she had vast territories and seven fleets, while he had a mansion in the capital, several businesses, and a noble pension.
After all, what was important was not the title but the real power.
“Yes, Marquis. Then excuse me.”
It was a hundred times better to reign as a duke than to rule while keeping an eye on the counts who had made her a king.
* * *
Several Black Iron Knights and police officers were able to clear the scene after the sun rose high in the sky and calm the people who had been left trembling from the terror of the night before.
Jaylilith summoned Cariosa for a formal interrogation, and Cariosa agreed to withdraw half of her ten thousand troops from the capital.
Of course, the 5,000 who escaped like that were all 5,000 of the 'Eastern Union'.
Valencianus called Tentia, Rudi, and Celerazie to the villa and drank all the expensive wine that Jerilis had given him.
“Sir Tentia. Is your armor being repaired well?”
“Ah. I just received a new piece for the broken part. That’s the advantage of plate armor. If a single part of plate armor is pierced, the surrounding area needs to be repaired, but we can just receive a new part and put it on.”
As soon as Tentia finished speaking, Sereraji came rushing in.
There was a considerable amount of fatigue on his fresh face.
“But don’t treat the armor roughly. Don’t take everything with the armor, block some with the sword too!”
“Yes? Why are you doing that?”
“We’re the ones who repair and remake that armor all the time. The blacksmiths finish making the armor, but the Hwangrip Magic Workshop engraves the circuitry into each part. Yesterday, that work ended up coming to me! You’re a warlock during the day and a researcher at night? Does that make sense?”
“Hmm. I will try. But in the end, the disciples… … No, Your Majesty.”
Tentia nodded, and Rudy filled Valencianus's cup, while Valencianus, already blushing, told Rudy about his dirty and ugly backroom dealings.
“The way the Governor-General develops the occupied territories is by setting up a company. It’s easy to calculate the money and distribute the profits. Think of it as similar to the Imperial Trade Association that distributes grains and rare metals.”
“Yes, Lord Valen. I am listening.”
Rudy's green eyes sparkled gently as he comforted the exhausted Archduke.
“When developing the Cariosado Islands, I’m going to set up a company, and the Imperial Family will invest 60% of the capital. So the Imperial Family’s stake is 60%.”
"yes yes."
“His Majesty will give me 10%. Heh, heh. Now I’m rich. Dividends! Dividends will be several thousand gold coins every quarter.”
"yes yes."
Valencian lowered his voice as if embarrassed.
“Rudy. When the money comes in, I’ll buy you a mansion in the capital. And I’ll give you a title, too.”
“What is it?”